Roger Utnehmer
His career spanned over 35 years in radio broadcasting as a general manager and station owner. He began his career in 1977, as the general manager of WATK radio, Antigo. In 1981, he put WRLO-FM, Antigo on the air and later acquired WERL-AM/FM, Eagle River in 1985, WNBI-AM/FM in Park Falls and WOMA-FM, Algoma in 1993. While divesting himself of those stations, except WOMA-FM, he later built three more FM stations to join WOMA, renamed WBDK, in serving Door and Kewaunee counties – WRLU, WRKU and WSBW. His career was marked by extraordinary service to his industry and fellow broadcasters. He served a total of sixteen years on the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Board of Directors, including Chairman of the Board in 2007. He also served ten years on the Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Foundation. He was a longtime member of the unique International Radio Idea Bank, a group of 100 radio managers from throughout the United States, Canada and Australia, designed to be a peer sharing and consulting group for its radio managers.
I learned more about radio broadcasting from an interview with Roger than I learned in college.
I’m sorry it took this long for me to write this note about my good friend, Roger Utnehmer.
Where to start? Well first of all, Roger is a legend in Door County, WI journalism! Almost everyone in the county listens to WBDK. Radio. And if you listen to this wonderful local station, you have heard, know and probably have met Roger Utnehmer.
What a wonderful gift over the years Roger has been to Door and Kewaunee Counties, as well as to all of Northeast Wisconsin!
When I served the people of Door, Kewaunee and a portion of Brown County in the Wisconsin Assembly, Roger was always there for me. And sometims it was to correct me (deservedly so)!
I am so grateful to consider him a friend for all these years and into the future!